28 November, 2017, Santa Rosa, California (USA)
Former rider Klaas Lodewyck will step up as a Sports Director with BMC Racing Team in 2018 after two years with BMC Development Team, General Manager Jim Ochowicz today announced.
Lodewyck raced with BMC Racing Team from 2012 until mid 2015, when he was forced to retire due to cardiac arrhythmia, before making the move to a Sports Director role with BMC Development Team in 2016.
Ochowicz said Lodewyck was a natural choice when a position opened up in the Sports Director’s group.
“When an opening in our Sports Director team became available, Klaas Lodewyck was our first choice for a number of reasons. He had been doing some great work with BMC Development Team and had also joined us for some races in the past two years where he showed us his skills as a Sports Director. Of course, as a former rider with BMC Racing Team, he is very familiar with the way the team operates and our staff and riders, many of whom he raced with.” Ochowicz explained.
“Klaas already has experience at many of the races in our calendar as a rider or a second director and in 2018, he will step up as first director at a number of events. We are very excited to have Klaas join us and we know he will be a great fit.”
In 2017, Lodewyck joined BMC Racing Team as Sports Director for a handful of races including the Artic Race of Norway where Dylan Teuns claimed two stage wins and the overall victory.
Lodewyck is grateful for the opportunity to stay within the BMC Racing Team family.
“I am very happy to join BMC Racing Team as Sports Director as it is a dream come true after being forced to retire from racing. After becoming Sports Director with BMC Development Team my goal was to step up to a WorldTour team. I wanted to stay with the BMC Racing Team family because when I couldn’t race anymore, Jim Ochowicz offered me the chance to be a Sports Director with the development team and this is an opportunity I am still very grateful for,” Lodewyck said.
“I learned a lot in the past two years with the young riders, especially how to manage the riders, talk to the them and face and solve problems. This is something I had to learn because it is completely different as a rider. I think I did this well if you look at the results from the past two years.”
“Having the opportunity to join BMC Racing Team is a reflection of my work in the past two years and I can’t wait to start at our training camp in December and get the season underway in 2018.”
Lodewyck joins the existing group of BMC Racing Team Sports Directors: Fabio Baldato (ITA), Valerio Piva (ITA), Maximilian Sciandri (ITA) and Jackson Stewart (USA).
